English Language and Linguistics

SP170L

What do you know when you know a language? We will study this question by looking closely at English: how it is pronounced, how words, phrases, and sentences are formed, how it is acquired by children, how it is used in social context, how English varies in different parts of the English-speaking world, and how it has changed, and continues to change, over time.

This course introduces the study of language as a science using examples from English and the English-speaking world. We begin by examining what the terms 'language', 'communication', and 'signalling' imply, consider what kinds of abilities underlie them, and argue that language is a kind of knowledge that human children are biologically equipped to acquire. The first part of the course looks at what this 'knowledge of language' involves, and gives an overview of the basic concepts and theories for analysing English grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and meaning. The second part of the course looks at how language is used in communication and signalling, and introduces basic concepts and theories for explaining social, cultural and historical variation, with a focus on the situation in English-speaking countries.

Higher Education Entrance Qualification, acceptance into the English for Bachelor of English or other bachelor programmes at Nord University, and/or international / exchange student status at Nord University.

KNOWLEDGE

After completing the course, students will be able to:

explain what is entailed by 'language', 'communication', and 'signalling' and how the study of language can be approached scientifically
explain how English words and sentences are constructed and interpreted
account for how English is used in communicating speaker meaning and in signalling social meaning
describe how English varies geographically, socially and historically

SKILLS

After completing the course, students will be able to:

analyse the structure of English words and sentences using appropriate notation
transcribe expressions in English using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
locate and evaluate scholarly sources for English language and linguistics
discuss English language and linguistics using appropriate concepts and terminology
update and broaden one's knowledge of English language and linguistics

COMPETENCIES

After completing the course, students will be able to:

reflect on and apply concepts from English language and linguistics to novel facts
critically evaluate discussions in the media bearing on linguistics and English language
communicate the relevance of linguistics and English language to education, life skills, participation in a pluralistic democracy, and sustainable social development in our own time
collaborate with other students in planning and carrying out an oral presentation that communicates a research result from English language and linguistics

No costs beyond semester fee and course literature.

Compulsory for students in Bachelor of English and English One Year Programme. The course is also offered as an elective outside of these programmes.

The program is campus-based and has weekly instruction (12 weeks). Teaching is given as lectures and group work, with time for individual follow-up as necessary. Students are expected to have Internet access, in particular our learning platform Canvas and the library's electronic holdings.

There will be an internal evaluation of the course near the end of term. Centrally administered course evaluations are an important part of the university's quality assurance system and students are strongly encouraged to take part.

Obligatory participation 85 %, approved / not approved

Assesment task, Group presentation (approved/not approved)

Compulsory participation and assessment tasks must be approved to receive the final grade.

Portfolio - consisting of three written texts, counts 100 % of the total grade, assessed A-F

1: Short essay

2: Analysis and transcription

3. Essay on chosen topic

All support materials

Participation on the course presupposes a high level of proficiency in English, both spoken and written, equivalent to the level attained on completing Norwegian high school education with a specialization in English, i.e. 5 hours per week including the second year with a grade of 4 or higher. Students are expected to have an understanding of basic grammatical concepts, in particular word classes such as verb, noun, preposition, adjective, and grammatical relations such as subject, direct object, indirect object and agreement.

Basic digital skills will be assumed. Students are expected to have, or acquire the ability to:

format assignments using a word processing program to applicable style guidelines;
convert documents to PDF format for submission;
download, install and run dedicated (free) software as required.

Curriculum literature

Leganto

Subject language

English

Credits

Study location

Bodø

Teaching semesters

Autumn 2023

Responsible faculty

The Faculty of Education and Arts

Course coordinator

Information about the course coordinator for the selected semester is no longer available. Please contact the current course coordinator.